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I've been in I.T. for over 20 years now and ready to get out of it. I am still looking into that next step but I'm thinking of taking a break for a bit to see if I can get some clarity.
I thought about Seattle (not proper but the outskirts) or Denver but don't want to move to one of those places and pay high rent only because I "think" i want to live there.
I am thinking of the possibility of just living in a smaller, more relaxed town where I still have good outdoor stuff I can do, mainly hiking. I'm not a hot weather person either so looking for some nice cold weather for once. I wouldn't want to stay out of work more than a year so want to be somewhere where rent is cheap but I can be outside most of the day to reflect on things.
Don't mind the snow either, I have a good amount of savings that I don't mind using up as long as I can gain some clarity from this break.
Currently in Phoenix, moved out here with my job, love the scenery but can't stand the summers obviously, this will be my 3rd and last year, my current lease is up the end of April. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
Get higher up in the desert if you like the SW region to escape the oppressive summer heat. Phoenix is at 1000 ft. Flagstaff, Grand Junction, maybe Prescott, northern NM and Albuquerque will be higher and cooler in the summer and let you actually get outside. These are four season places. They will probably be cheaper or about the same as Phoenix. You already know about Seattle and Denver. Sounds like you want something smaller for a while.
Yeah I do like Northern AZ, however Prescott and Flagstaff are both expensive. I remember when I wanted to live in ABQ (years and years ago) but that place is super busy to me now. I am also looking for places that have fairly cheap rentals, under $1,000/mo.
I am familiar with Montrose as I love Ouray and that's not too far. I looked up on Apartments.com and only a trailer for rent. I need to find other ways of finding rentals as I'm not having a lot of luck finding rentals for some of these places and that's really discounting a lot of cool places.
All of these places are reasonably priced and FAR FAR less expensive to live in for a year than the West Coast. If you are into winter sports, about 20 minutes south of Buffalo NY has decent skiing. Also look into smaller towns in VT/Upstate NY if you are interested in hiking or mountain climbing.
Since you said you wanted snow, all of the places listed get plenty of snow Marquette averages about 10 feet, Tupper Lake about 15-18 feet, and Conneaut Lake about 8-10 feet. Upstate NY in the snow belt anywhere between 6 feet to 20 feet depending on where you go
All of these places are reasonably priced and FAR FAR less expensive to live in for a year than the West Coast. If you are into winter sports, about 20 minutes south of Buffalo NY has decent skiing. Also look into smaller towns in VT/Upstate NY if you are interested in hiking or mountain climbing.
Since you said you wanted snow, all of the places listed get plenty of snow Marquette averages about 10 feet, Tupper Lake about 15-18 feet, and Conneaut Lake about 8-10 feet. Upstate NY in the snow belt anywhere between 6 feet to 20 feet depending on where you go
Given what the OP is looking for, even a nice village in one of the bigger Upstate NY metros would work. Given the line of work mentioned, I’d say to look into the Albany area due to its tech sector. There are also some companies in other areas that could work. An example of one in the Syracuse area: https://www.srcinc.com/careers/
In many ways, living in the middle of a big, urban city can be the easiest. No yard, no car, short stroll to work... You can use transit, ferries, or a bicycle to get to wilderness.
Given what the OP is looking for, even a nice village in one of the bigger Upstate NY metros would work. Given the line of work mentioned, I’d say to look into the Albany area due to its tech sector. There are also some companies in other areas that could work. An example of one in the Syracuse area: https://www.srcinc.com/careers/
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Marquette averages about 10 feet, Tupper Lake about 15-18 feet, and Conneaut Lake about 8-10 feet. Upstate NY in the snow belt anywhere between 6 feet to 20 feet depending on where you go 
